Toxins are a problem for all of us. They are literally everywhere and almost impossible to completely eliminate. Toxins impact our immune system and can trigger inflammation. This is why it is important to minimize our exposure to toxins. Here are some practical tips for lowering your toxin exposure to help your body thrive in our current environment.
Why Avoid Toxins
Toxins are harmful substances that we come into contact with all of the time. They are in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the products we use at home and on our bodies. Toxins are also from lifestyle choices like smoking or even having too much stress.
Why are toxins so harmful? For one, the immune system recognizes toxins as foreign invaders. This threat activates immune cells and can trigger an inflammatory cascade to get rid of them. However, we are constantly exposed to toxins, this consistent threat to our body spirals us into a chronic inflammatory state. Lastly, toxins can damage our gut lining which also adds to our overall systemic inflammation.
Avoiding toxins is really important when you have an autoimmune disease. Since inflammation is what we are trying to minimize, toxins just add fuel to that fire. While toxins truly are unavoidable, there are a number of things you can do to minimize your exposures to them. Here are my top tips for How To lower your toxic exposure.
Tip 1: Take your Shoes off Inside the Home
We have always been a “no shoes in the house” kind of family. And there’s a reason for that. Scientists have found an alarming amount of deadly germs on the soles of people’s shoes, some of which include Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Escherichia coli and Clostridioides difficile, all of which can cause diarrhea and other serious infections. Heavy metals can also be dragged into your home from the outside, as well as hazardous chemicals from lawns, asphalt and sidewalks.
How can you start doing this? Set up a shoe rack outside your front door or inside your garage, depending on which way you enter your house. If you have a pet, start getting into the habit of wiping their feet off with a damp towel can help remove pesticides from lawns, and even parasites and bacteria. Also, notify guests that you will be asking them to remove their shoes. It can be awkward but I’d rather do that then risk my home to a bacterial infection.
Tip 2: Buy Organic When Possible
Organic produce is expensive. However, when you think about the amount of pesticides sprayed on conventional foods you might reconsider. In fact, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that over 75% of non-organic produce samples contained pesticide residues. In addition, pesticides and insecticides are linked to the development of autoimmune diseases.
Food is a major pathway for toxins to enter our bodies. Therefore, choosing organic or pesticide free produce is a great step towards limiting your toxin exposure. If organic is too expensive, focus on buying organic for the Dirty 15, which is an annual EWG list of produce with the highest levels of pesticide residue.
Tip 3: Investigate Your Personal Care Products
Besides food, personal care products are the other major source of consistent chemical contamination. The cosmetics industry is not well regulated and many ingredients used in skincare, haircare and body care are not tested for safety. In fact, endocrine disrupting chemicals run rampant in many of these products. These chemicals interfere with hormone signaling, affect reproduction, can alter the onset of puberty and can even cause cancer.
Many companies claim they are “clean” but are they really? The EWG created the Healthy Living app to rate a variety of products. Start going through the products you use personally and in your home. If you find high levels of toxins in your current brands, try switching to brands that use less toxins. This can take time, so I recommend replacing your old products when you run out and need to order more.
Toxins are everywhere, but you can make smart choices to lower your own toxic exposure to help lower inflammation. If you need help making these changes, please contact me to learn more about working together. Also check out my socials (Instagram, Facebook and YouTube) for more tips on managing your autoimmune disease with diet and lifestyle.
